A Modern Take on Modern War.

2010.04.28

The Hard Truth of Soft Power

I remember first hearing about Joseph Nye's notion of 'soft power' from this video, given by Shashi Tharoor. I was intrigued at how Tharoor suggested that through sporting events, he uses the Beijing Olympics as an example, we might foster improvements in international relations.

He suggests that while India is economically strong, militarily powerful, in possession of nuclear weapons and extremely populous, this is not a fair measure of power in the modern age. He suggests that their telecommunications network is a clear marker of them. He gives examples of fishermen informing the seaside towns what fish they have; coconuts being ordered by men in trees with cell phones.

Tharoor points out also that: "In today's world, it's not the side with the bigger army that wins. It's the country that tells the better story that prevails." This beautiful statement is a vital observation about the future of power projection and the West's desire to increase the number of democratic states, and states that are friendly to us.

This piece from the Helmand Blog, of the UK Forces Media Ops in Helmand province at Camp Bastion demonstrates the strength of soft power.